The MMAC Permanent Collection, begun in 1895, includes nearly 11,000 objects. Acquisitions to the Permanent Collection include a wide range of art and artifacts of significant quality from various periods, cultures, countries and categories, including the work of living artists.

The core holdings of MMAC’s Permanent Collection include works of art that describe the aesthetic development of the Rocky Mountain west, historic European works, Southeast Asian collections, American Impressionist works, contemporary Native American art, important ceramics works and public art sited across the campus. Permanent Collection holdings are also on loan to other Montana institutions including the Charles W. Clark Chateau in Butte, the Daly Mansion in Hamilton, the Conrad Mansion in Kalispell and the Federal Reserve Bank in Helena.